Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Golden Allison’

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Golden Allison’, characterized by its upright plant habit; freely branching growth habit; uniform and freely flowering habit; decorative-type inflorescences; and golden yellow-colored ray florets.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium andhereinafter referred to by the name ‘Golden Allison’.

The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in Salinas, Calif. and Fort Myers, Fla. The objective ofthe breeding program is to create new garden-type Chrysanthemumcultivars having inflorescences with desirable inflorescence forms,attractive floret colors and good garden performance.

The new Chrysanthemum is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of aproprietary induced mutation that originated by exposing unrootedcuttings of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Allison, disclosed in U.S. PlantPat. No. 11,826, to X-ray radiation in March, 1997, in Fort Myers, Fla.The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as asingle flowering plant within a population of flowering plants of theirradiated selection in October, 1997 in a controlled environment inSalinas, Calif. The selection of this plant was based on its desirableinflorescence form, attractive ray floret color and good gardenperformance.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken in acontrolled environment in Salinas, Calif. since December, 1997, hasshown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable andreproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Golden Allison has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength and lightintensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Golden Allison’. These characteristicsin combination distinguish ‘Golden Allison’ as a new and distinctcultivar:

1. Upright plant habit.

2. Freely branching, dense, full plants.

3. Uniform and freely flowering.

4. Decorative-type inflorescences.

5. Golden yellow-colored ray florets.

Compared to plants of the cultivar Allison, plants of the newChrysanthemum have slightly smaller inflorescences, flower slightlyearlier, flower more uniformly, and differ in ray floret color.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of thenew Chrysanthemum. These photographs show the colors as true as it isreasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type.Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color valuescited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describethe colors of the new Chrysanthemum.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective viewof a typical flowering plant of ‘Golden Allison’.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view oftypical inflorescences of the cultivar ‘Golden Allison’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observationsand measurements describe plants grown in Salinas, Calif., underconditions which approximate those generally used in commercial gardenChrysanthemum production. One rooted cutting was planted in a 15-cmcontainer in July, 2000 and plants were grown under natural seasonconditions. Plants were not pinched, that is, the terminal apex was notremoved to enhance branching. Measurements and numerical valuesrepresent averages for typical flowering plants.

Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar GoldenAllison.

Commercial classification: Decorative-type garden Chrysanthemum.

Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of a proprietaryChrysanthemum×morifolium induced mutation, not patented.

Propagation:

Type.—Terminal tip cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—About four days at 21° C.

Time to produce a rooted cutting.—About ten days at 21° C.

Root description.—White, fine and fibrous.

Rooting habit.—Freely branching.

Plant description:

Appearance.—Perennial herbaceous decorative-type garden Chrysanthemum.Inverted triangle; upright plant form. Stems initially upright, thenslightly outwardly spreading giving a uniformly flat-top appearance tothe plant. Freely branching with about 15 lateral branches per plant.

Plant height.—About 22.5 cm.

Plant diameter.—About 23 cm.

Lateral branches.—Length: About 17 cm. Diameter: About 5 mm. Internodelength: About 2.7 cm. Aspect: Mostly upright. Texture: Pubescent. Color:144A with anthocyanin, close to 59A, at nodes.

Foliage description.—Leaf arrangement: Alternate. Length: About 6.2 cm.Width: About 3.9 cm. Apex: Cuspidate to mucronate. Base: Attenuate.Margin: Palmately lobed, sinuses mostly divergent. Texture: Bothsurfaces, pubescent; veins prominent on lower surface. Color: Youngfoliage upper surface: 147A. Young foliage lower surface: Close to 147B.Mature foliage upper surface: 147A. Mature foliage lower surface: 147B.Venation upper surface: 147A to 147B. Venation lower surface: 147B.Petiole length: About 2.1 cm. Petiole diameter: About 2.5 mm. Petiolecolor, both surfaces: 146B to 146C.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form with elongatedoblong-shaped ray florets. Inflorescences borne on terminals abovefoliage, arising from leaf axils. Disk and ray florets arrangedacropetally on a capitulum. About 7 inflorescences per lateral; about105 inflorescences per plant.

Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants flower inearly October in the Northern Hemisphere and continue to flower for atleast three weeks depending on weather conditions.

Inflorescence bud (before showing color).—Height: About 7.5 mm.Diameter: About 8.5 mm. Phyllary color: More green than 147A.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 4.75 cm. Depth (height): About 2.1cm. Disc diameter: About 2 mm or less, inconspicuous. Receptaclediameter: About 6 mm.

Ray florets.—Shape: Elongated oblong. Length: About 2.4 cm. Corolla tubelength: About 9 mm. Width: About 7 mm. Apex: Acute, emarginate ordentate. Margin: Entire. Texture: Smooth, glabrous, satiny. Orientation:Initially upright and incurved, then perpendicular to the peduncle andeventually flat. Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 195.Color: When opening, upper and lower surfaces: 9A. Opened inflorescence,upper surface: 9A. Opened inflorescence, lower surface: 9B to 9C.

Disc florets.—Shape: Tubular, apex dentate. Length: About 7 mm. Width:Apex: About 2 mm. Base: About 1 mm. Number of disc florets perinflorescence: Less than 10. Color: Immature: 154A. Mature: Apex: 9A.Mid-section: 154D. Base: 155D.

Peduncle.—Aspect: Flexible, angled about 30 to 35° from the stem.Length: First peduncle: About 5.8 cm. Fourth peduncle: About 7.6 cm.Diameter: About 3.5 mm. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 146A.

Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Anthercolor: 12A. Pollen: Scarce. Pollen color: 15A. Gynoecium: Present onboth ray and disc florets.

Seed.—Seed production has not been observed.

Disease resistance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have not been shownto be resistant to pathogens common to Chrysanthemums.

Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have been observedto be tolerant to rain and wind.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plantnamed ‘Golden Allison’, as illustrated and described.